‘Our dinner with Bill’
Fulfilling a promise, basketball legend Walton dines with Millburn family at New York deli

by Ron Kaplan
NJJN Staff Writer

Even before Bill Walton challenged donors at a March Sports Nite Out event to increase their contributions in return for a private luncheon, Jonathan and Jody Caplan had made their financial commitment. They couldn’t have realized what a tasty treat their gesture would turn into.

Walton, a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, regaled a crowd of hardwood enthusiasts with a mixture of anecdotes and life lessons at Sports Nite Out, a March 22 fund-raiser sponsored by United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ at the Lautenberg Family JCC in Whippany. The evening raised more than $100,000.

Several weeks later, the Caplans took their children — six-year-old Sophie, nine-year-old Benjamin, and Aliza, 11 — along with several friends to a dinner at Ben’s Kosher Deli in Manhattan for a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the sports legend.

Although Walton retired long before any of the Caplan children and their pals were born, they still marveled at being in the presence of the seven-foot former center. “Benjamin is a real sports fan,” said Jonathan Caplan. “He was aware of who [Walton] was.”

Walton charmed the party of 20 guests with tales of his experiences in college and with the pros, as well as some of the adversities he had overcome, such as a severe stutter.

“He made it extremely kid-friendly,” said Caplan, a Millburn resident. “He could not have been nicer. You could see he dressed very low key. He took all their questions,” including such important issues as what he had eaten for breakfast that day.

Caplan wanted to bring the kids along “because Walton has a very positive message: Work hard and enjoy yourself.”

“What the kids really liked, and the adults, too, is that…he learned everyone’s name.”

In an age where retired athletes routinely charge fees for signing memorabilia, Caplan praised Walton for his “graciousness” in inscribing whatever the kids — and adults — put in front of him. Caplan himself came away with an autographed Boston Celtics warm-up jacket, which now hangs in his Manhattan law office.

“Benjamin is very low-key,” observed Caplan, “so you ask him how he liked it, and he’ll say it was pretty good, but he will talk about it and he will tell other people. My son was wearing a Los Angeles Clippers sweatshirt [that Walton signed] so he had that framed and has it hanging in his room.” Aliza came home with Walton’s name on her shoe; Sophie was content just to have an autographed photo of the celebrity.

Ron Kaplan can be reached at RKaplan@njjewishnews.com.